Migrant workers put down roots

After years of struggling, a small number of migrant workers in Guangdong province, a place where most people have moved to from other provinces, are starting to choose settling down. In today's episode of "My Migrant Life", our reporter Xu Zhaoqun brings us the story of one of these settlers. Now let's take a look at how a migrant worker's dream has come true.

Even though this is the first time Li Xiaoxu has been filmed, she's not shy at all only because she has no time to stop working and keeps talking on the phone. But she is happy enough to become a white collar worker, with a position in an office, rather than a workshop.

Li said, "You see my job number is 2. I am the oldest worker in this factory. I have been working here 8 years. My hard work has paid off. I am satisfied with my current life here.

Li's satisfaction mostly reflects to her family life in Huizhou. Her husband is an engineer in the same factory with a master's degree, making her the envy of some of her colleagues.

More than ten million migrant workers work all year in Guangdong Province. Few of them want to return to their farming lives back in their home towns. However, it's not easy to settle down.

Mr. Wang said, "I have never thought of setting up a home here. Maybe it's too early for me to think about that. This is a good job, I have to say. much better than those in my home town. But, who knows what happens in the future."

It's understandable that a migrant worker is reluctant to think about that, because the road to the dream is a very long one.

Li Xiaoxu is lucky to have solved all the issues on the way to her dream. The couple's income is enough to afford the repayments on the house and car. And they don't have to return to their remote family homes during the Spring Festival for a reunion with their parents. Their house is big enough to hold the older generation.

Li said, "I have got used to the life here. It comes from both hard work and good luck. I know not everyone could enjoy a life like this. I have to treasure all this. My child's life will be completely different from ours."

A survey shows a migrant worker can only afford a small apartment after working for thirty years in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, and the job security for most of these people is far less than Li's. Li's life is still inaccessible for most migrant workers.

In tomorrow's episode of "My Migrant Life", our reporter Liu Ying visits a group of migrant workers who are about to take the journey back home for the Chinese New Year. The prospect of family reunion supports them to overcome a often tough and uncomfortable trip. But the anxiety over the future still looms.